3 Tips from Worship Leaders Across the Country

Recently, I attended All about Worship, a worship conference in Kansas City. During my time there, I spoke with some phenomenal songwriters and worship leaders. Traveling to similar conferences all across the country gives me the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of worship leaders and learn from the wisdom God has given them.

One of the best things about having these conversations is pulling out the common threads—the experiences, frustrations, and joys shared by worship leaders from all walks of life.

Here are three worship tips that come up all the time:

1. Sing songs in keys you’re comfortable in

It’s risky to try to emulate someone else instead of leveraging the gifts you have. One of the most common mistakes is trying to replicate your favorite worship songs exactly as they sound on the recording. The problem? That key might not fit your range.

However gifted you are, one key to being a good leader is having confidence. When you sing songs in a key you’re comfortable with, you don’t have to worry about that upcoming high note. This frees you up to focus on how the congregation is worshiping together, rather than thinking about the parts of the song that test you individually.

2. Lead your congregation up the mountain

The Old Testament offers some beautiful illustrations of God’s people ascending his mountain to enjoy his presence (Psalm 24:3). As a worship leader, you’re helping spiritually lead your congregation into God’s presence.

Corporate worship is a communal experience, and part of facilitating that experience is being aware of where the rest of your church is. Sometimes the worship leader or the band can get so far ahead that they lose everyone else.

The goal isn’t to be the first to the top of the mountain; you certainly don’t want to stand at the top alone. Be conscious of emotive moments during songs, and as you foster that experience through instrumentation, consider how vocals accompany the feeling. Lead the voices of your congregation so you can enjoy the presence of God together.

3. Stay in conversation with your pastors

Worship is a combination of 1.) praising God through song and 2.) processing the truth of Scripture through preaching. Investing in your relationships with your pastors will help you maintain this holistic view. Authentic unity in the leadership will help your team make much of God as you lead and teach your congregation.

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Proclaim helps your worship team collaborate. Your pastor can choose beautiful sermon slides that fit this Sunday’s topic. Your worship leaders can change song sets on the fly and import lyrics directly from CCLI. Your tech team can take the order of service straight from Planning Center Online. Everyone can work on the same presentation from the cloud. Download Proclaim today, and try it free!